I just got a male betta fish, he's bright blue, very pretty...how do I know how old he is, etc?

Question

I just got him spur of the moment kind of a deal and talked to the guy at the pet store about it about how much to feed him what I need for the water and everything. But I think I was misled about how many times to feed him. Can anyone offer me some advice about this? And do they like to be alone, in smaller aquariums?

What are bubble nests?
Is there any way in the way he looks (like his fins or anything) that I could tell how old he is?

Answer 1

I love that you are researching (well, asking) about them. For his sake, thank you!

I also have a blue (with red tips!) betta. He's got a 1 1/2-2 gallon tank with the works. He's spoiled also. He hides in his plant, shows off to his reflection, (that's a really neat trick- Give him a mirror for a little while!) and he's got more personality than any fish I've ever known!

Ok, here's some pointers. First, the tank. I'd recommend something big enough for a plant, fake or real. They prefer to hide or sleep on the plant. Plastic plants may rip their beautiful fins, so watch what kind you get. They also enjoy java moss/ferns. Keep it away from a window, door, or unsteady area. They breathe air, so make sure he doesn't end up breathing cold air that could harm him. They don't need an airstone, or a heater. As long as the tank/bowl stays somewhere between 74-85, you should be ok. Mine drops to about 72 nightly, and can raise to 85 easily. They say if you keep it cooler, the fish will live longer, because their metabolism is slowed down. However, they are tropical fish, and prefer it about 80-85.

The water: Get you some aquasafe or stress coat, and a clean gallon jug. (I use a few drops per jug) Make sure it's room temp before trying to change the water in the tank. I don't know if you've got a light/heater, so whenever your tank is room temp, you can change it. I leave my jug on the counter at all times so I can change the tank in the morning, after the light (which doubles as a heater) has been off for hours. If you do a full change, catch and transfer him into a cup/bowl/ bag, and then do what you need to in the tank. After you're done, if the water you're using and the tank is definately room temp, you can plop him right in. Betta's are really hardy fish, but you don't want to take the chance of stressing him because of something like temp.

Food: I probably overfeed my little dude, at twice a day. He expects it now though, and he's a really good eater. Find the pellets that float, and drop them close to the surface of the water so they won't drop to the bottom. They also enjoy other treats too. Mine won't eat flake food though. I heard that you give them as much food as they will eat in two minutes. If I kept feeding mine for 2 minutes, he'd burst! lol I give him about 5 pellets twice a day.

Cleaning: WIth the size of my tank, I do about a half change (maybe more) once a week. about once a month, I take him out and do a full cleaning, including the gravel. It's really easy to get the chunks and goobers if you use an airtube to syphon off the water. (They make syphons for this, but I just use a spare airtube. lol) Depending on how small your tank/bowl is, you may have to change the water more.

Uh, to answer, there's really no way of telling how old he is. If he's really small it's a good chance he's young. Bubble nests are waht the males do to prepare the tank for babies. In breeding, the female reseases the eggs, and he will take care of them in the bobble nests. The males will only do this if they are of age, are ready for breeding, and the temp is warm enough. Yea, either way you'll see a few bubbles here and there.

DO NOT try to keep two males together!! Unless you do your research prior, don't put any other fish with him, if he's in a small bowl. If, say, you feel like throwing him in a community tank, you MUST be careful what kind of fish are in it. If you've got about a 3 gallon, a corycat isn't a bad companion for him. My cory cat was insane in that tiny tank of mine, but I was trying to prepare my betta for a 55 gallon full of other fish. lol

Anyway, I really hope this helps. Bettas are great pets with sometimes just as much personality as a dog or cat! Give it time, and watch your little dude. Train him with a finger or pencil eraser on the side of the tank. Some will chase it. lol
Good luck, and have fun!!!
;o)

Answer 2

With male bettas, they don't necessarily need to be alone, just not exposed to other male bettas. You could set up a community aquarium with your betta and some danios or some other fish he's compatible with. Maybe a five or ten gallon, with a heater(around 75-78 degrees should be good.) and filter. Live plants are good, but if you can't do that make sure you get silk ones, plastic plants will tear Mr. Betta's fins :(.

As far as feeding goes this will depend on what you feed him. I've been studying bettas kinda extensively for a few months now and many breeders have been finding that they have less cases of dropsy and other outbreaks when they don't use live or frozen foods. if you're feeding him pellets, give him a couple, let him eat, give him a couple more... do this until he ignores the food or if he's a little piggy give him about 6 to 8 pellets. Some eat more or less. My females will only eat about 4 before they start to ignore the food.

Also, if you aren't going to put him in a community tank you could go with a 2.5 gallon tank, although a 5 would be better. Five gallon tanks are much easier to heat, you could easily end up boiling Mr. Betta if you try to heat a 2.5 gallon and something goes wrong, so use caution on that one.

Make sure you use a dechlorinator if you use tap water for water changes and if he is currently in a bowl (shame on you if he is), make sure you reacclimate him to his water before you put him back in his bowl. If he's in a tank, meaning you only need to do a partial change, then make sure the water you are putting into the tank is the same temperature as his tank water. Not doing so can cause a temperature shock, which can end up killing him.

Answer 3

When feeding bettas keep in mind that their stomach is only about the size of their eye, for example:

I have a large betta fish that gets fed twice as much as my smaller betta that is nearly half his size, the small betta gets 2-3 pellets daily, fasting on one day; the large betta gets 4 or 5 pellets daily.

Bettas need to be in a 2.5 gallon or larger aquarium. The bigger the aquarium, the more active they can be, providing they have calm, non fin-nippy fish in there with them.

A bubble nest is a mass of bubbles [2-3 inches by 2-3" or larger] that a male betta blows when he is happy, and therefore willing to breed (the eggs get placed in the bubble nest after spawning).

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

i think they like lots of space but they are fine in smaller ones .
they should be feed 2 x a day and they will kill each other if you put 2 together they like being alone unless its a female
clean the tank about every week and they make bubble nest when they are happy. older ones may not make as many bubble nest and have a little shorter fins. you can tell a fishes age unless you saw be born.
start keeping track from the time you got it and add a couple of months if hes fully grown.
they live about 5 years max.
use CLEAR WATER to keep their water nice and cloud free. can get at a walmart

Answer 5

I feed mine every other day. Clean out their bowls once every 5 to 7 days and replace ALL of the water. An older betta may not make a bubble nest and looses some of his showness in his fins. Young bettas seem to bow up more and show off, and are constantly making bubble nests. They live to be 3 to 4 years.

Answer 6

There areally isn't any way to know how old he is. Once they are adults they basically look the same until very old when they begin to get a bent back and less color on their faces.

As to feeding, I feed all of mine a small pinch in flake of a few pellets in the morning and feed them a frozen food like brine shrimp, blood worms, daphnia or the like in the evenings. The general rule is not to feed more than they will eat in 2-3 minutes.

Bettas will do fine in a small tank or in a larger community tank. They arequite peaceful and will not hassle tank mates. There is a chance that their long fins will get nipped so that's something to watch for in a community tank.

Hope that helps!

MM

Answer 7

I had my beta for about 3 years. I fed him once a day and he seemed to be fine with that. Also make sure you clean out the water at least once a week. Betas are pretty hearty fish and are easy to take care of. They really don't need too much space. You can put them in an aquarium if you like, but make sure the other fish are not aggressive, and make sure that you put the beta in last. If you put the beta in first, he will see other fish as invading his space. Betas are very territorial and very aggressive fish. You should never put more than one beta in a tank (whether they're male or female) because they will fight with each other. Have fun with your new fish!

Answer 8

Betta males generally don't live more than 3 - 5 yrs. Feed only once a day. You can keep them in a small fish bowl but spoil it and give them a 5 gallon with a few fake bushes/trees, rocks, castles, etc. to hang and hide out. Don't place any other fish especially another beta male in the same tank. They will fight to the death.

Answer 9

Try asking a fish-slayer expert!